new guy

[dust 54]

hi everyone! as made obvious by the topic, i am a new member headed down the WLS road.

i'll keep it short and sweet. i've always struggled with my weight. my mother is overweight and my situation is due to learned behavior. i am actually somewhat athletic, training and competing in brazilian jiu jitsu on a top performing team. but at 34 years old losing weight isnt getting any easier. i did the low carb crash diet thing and it worked great, but the pounds came back along with some new friends... my knees and back take a lot of punishment on the mat. a recent, somewhat serious knee injury has slowed me down and made me think more about the future. it's time for some extra help.

i have 2 small kids (5 and 6 as of this post) and a beautiful, healthy wife who i want to be around for. not only that, but i want to be a good example of health and vigor for my children. i could keep trying the old fashioned way and failing or i could go the WLS route and make a permanent change. i'm not 100% sold yet, but i have a good level of comfort with my doctor and feel that he will be give me the information my wife and i need to make a good decision.

i looked into WLS a few years ago but was put off by the cost. my employer at that time excluded all bariatric care, and i wasn't in a position to afford surgery. a recent change in employers, however, came with amazing insurance benefits which cover all bariatric care and surgery at 100% with no deductible. they don't require any pre surgery "work", so no 6 month doctor supervised diet or any of that.

my first appointment is this thursday, 12/13. we'll see how it goes. in the meantime, thanks for all the great, honest posts here. i know it's not easy, that it's not a silver bullet to solve my problems, and i am glad to draw from your experiences while making my decision.

[Rootman 1,101]

Welcome!

We all wish you the best in your new adventure. You certainly are fortunate to have your surgery paid for 100% should you choose it.

I think you'll find that MOST people here on the forum are all FOR WLS but thee are a few that regret their decision, I'm sure some f them will chime in.

Remember it is YOUR decision ALONE that counts.

[Frank69 157]

cograts on your decesion, best of luck to you.

[Pookeyism 1,143]

I was still active, but the years taking a toll on me too.

With someone like yourself, the two most obvious obstacles to me (of course my opinion) is your head hunger/emotional/habitual eating and dealing with your potential muscle loss...

Even if your company does not require it, get in some support format - a nut, a counselor, meetings...get your teammates aware, and demand support.

Read!!! The Power of Habit by Dughill is amazing.

God bless and good luck!

[dust 54]

I was still active, but the years taking a toll on me too.

With someone like yourself, the two most obvious obstacles to me (of course my opinion) is your head hunger/emotional/habitual eating and dealing with your potential muscle loss...

Even if your company does not require it, get in some support format - a nut, a counselor, meetings...get your teammates aware, and demand support.

Read!!! The Power of Habit by Dughill is amazing.

God bless and good luck!

thanks for the advice. i have talked to a head shrinker in the past and i know what i'm up against there. the insurance plan (and the doc) require a psych consult, so i'll definitely be doing that. from my experience i know that once things start "clicking" i can obsess about something else and not worry so much about the emotional/habitual eating, but the danger will always be there.

regarding muscle loss.. the last time i did a low carb ketogenic diet i lost a LOT of weight. i had a DEXA scan before the diet and at two more points throughout the diet. i lost a little bit of muscle mass, but it came back as my level of exercise was increased. so i'm counting on an initial loss just due to the lack of food intake. but 4-5weeks after surgery when i can get back at the gym (minus a few pounds!) i'll be able to get things going again, stop the muscle loss, and build it back. Protein, Protein, protein. i lift weights and work out a good bit, so i have good muscle mass and can afford a minor setback as things settle out.

i have a lot floating around in my head about this and hopefully i can clear it up with my doctor on thursday.

thanks for all the well wishes!! i'll post up on thursday after my appointment.

[dust 54]

had my first appointment today. it went very well. i am confident in my surgeon and he was encouraging. we spent a good bit of time discussing options and answering more questions.

i'll talk to my wife again tonight but i'm pretty sure i am going to go for it. my insurance is surprisingly lax in requirements. in fact, the doctor requires more than the insurance company does.

it all goes well i should be able to submit to the insurance company shortly and after 5-10 days get an answer, which i expect will be a yes due to their lenient criteria.

we'll see how it goes!

[dizzneygirl 9]

good luck!!! i am 2.5 weeks post of and dont regret a thing!!!! well, except not doing it sooner!!!!

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Welcome and good luck. There have been 2 or 3 posts in the man room about doing MMA after surgery so I'm sure you can find some fellow grapplers to chat with.

[dust 54]

quick update...

psych eval is scheduled for Saturday

hospital labs are scheduled for 12/26

primary care physician appt to obtain letter is scheduled for 12/26 as well

once that is complete i'm looking at a 5-10 day approval time frame after it's all submitted to my insurance provider. i have no idea what the surgeon's workload is like, so i don't want to make any guesses as to a surgery date.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

psych eval is scheduled for Saturday

hospital labs are scheduled for 12/26

primary care physician appt to obtain letter is scheduled for 12/26 as well

once that is complete i'm looking at a 5-10 day approval time frame after it's all submitted to my insurance provider.

dust

holy moly guy, my head is spinning seeing your progress towards approval and scheduling of WLS.

Sounds you and DW have made the wise decision to have the sleeve done

as OP said - it is possible/probable that you will hear some negative comments about WLS - these problems are very genuine and unfortunate but they can/do happen - no one likes serious side effects - as in all surgeries - anything can happen

It is good to know things can happen go wrong, - you should hear the good and bad about the sleeve -unfortunately bad stories stick out for NEWBIES et al.

that being said......all hands up from people who love their sleeve - i think more than 99% of hands would be waving in the air with enthusiasm -my hand would be amongst them

hope you go with your instincts, you will find as you are losing weight you will live a longer, healthier, happier life

your two adorable kids and lovely wife will love the new healthier you

best wishes for an early DOS

good luck

happy holidays

[dust 54]

thanks for the words of encouragement. it has been fast, but i have been thinking about WLS for years. i am well informed after tons of research and feel comfortable with the risks. my surgeon is top notch and has a great track record, and that alleviates many of the typical concerns. i know that it's a game of odds and statistics, and that there is risk, but i feel i've done a good job minimizing it by choosing a great surgeon and a great hospital.

i'll keep updating as the process moves forward!

[dust 54]

what a whrilwind the past few days has been!

on saturday i visited the shrink. she was really, really wonderful. if you're in Atlanta and looking for a psych consult I must recommend Dr. Carole Kant. i left with some great advice and a thumbs up from her.

today i did my labs at the hospital. barium swallow upper GI, a whole host of blood work, EKG, and an O2 sat.

i also visited my new PCP today who is bariatric friendly. we chatted for a long time - about 45 min - and he had some great input. he said he has no reason not to sign off, but he wants to see the lab work results before he sends in the letter.

at this point i'm just waiting for all the reports to get to their proper places. all i have left to do is hit up a support group.

i'll keep y'all posted

[dust 54]

quick update.

labs are back. everything is fine except for a low Vitamin D count. doc told me it won't hold anything up, but I need to be on 50k iu/week for 12 weeks so they can redraw. if the count is back within spec then i go to a standard 1k iu/day dose.

ive also had a good bit of insurance trouble with the psych eval of all things.. the insurance company refused payment because they want me to see an outpatient psychiatrist rather than the psychologist recommended by my surgeon. i'm attempting to work it out, but if it doesn't happen then i'll just write the doctor i saw a check and get it over with in the interest of time. i have a feeling it will shake out in my favor, however.

this week i will make my support group visit, and after that is complete i won't have any more responsibilities before the doc submits to insurance. hopefully i'll have an update soon with some positive news!

[dust 54]

yet another quick update

last week i visited the support group. frankly i wasn't expecting to get much out of it and i had it in my head that i was only there to meet the doc / insurance requirements..

that said, it was very informative. i met lots of people, many with the sleeve, who had major success. seeing it here is one thing, but shaking hands with guys near my age who have been through it and changed their lives is different altogether.

case / point - i met a guy who lost 230lb in 12 months (!) with the sleeve. he was very encouraging and honest about everything surrounding the surgery. i met another guy a few years older than me who was 2 weeks post op, -30lb, and feeling great.

the first 40min or so of the meeting included a presentation from a plastic surgeon who discussed the implications of extreme weight loss and the potential for tummy tucks, breast work, etc etc. we watched his slideshow which was mostly bariatric patients who had skin removed, tummy tucks, and breast lift/augmentation. i told my wife that i was thinking "well, at worst i got to look at pictures of boobs for 40min!" and was pleasantly surprised when i was able to spend some time chatting with the sleevers of the group.

anyway, it was encouraging and it added more confidence to my decision to move forward with surgery.

so, as of now, i have done everything i need prior to insurance submission. i am waiting on an insurance company appeal to cover my visit with the psychologist. if they deny then i will just pay out of pocket (~300) so the surgeon can submit my paperwork. my only concern is that since the behavioral management arm of my insurance company denied coverage for a psychologist and requested that i do the eval with an outpatient psychiatrist that they will deny my surgery if i pay out of pocket and submit based on the psychologist's report.

luckily my company has an "insurance concierge" law firm with a single point of contact for all insurance issues. the lady i deal with is an HR / insurance lawyer, and she is chasing down all the issues for me. hopefully i will know what course to pursue by the end of this week so the surgeon can submit next week. with a 5-10 day approval period i hope to be in the OR by the end of february.

wish me luck!

[dust 54]

today i paid the psych out of pocket and obtained the evaluation. that's the last item that i was waiting on for a complete package, so insurance submission should happen soon.

my insurer told me it is a 5-10 day approval period, so hopefully in a few weeks i'll have an answer and can schedule surgery.

wish me luck!